Of Snakes And Lions
by dribblestheturtle
Summary: How do you define the word Love? Can one just love a single person? Or can one love two people equally? Set after the great war. People are comming back to Hogwarts for repeating years. God, I'm crap at summaries. Read the whole thing. Loads of pairings. DM/HP in later chapters. BW/OC in even later chapters. Also contains a few other pairings, but I'm too lazy to tell. R&R, please?
1. Meet the Harvetts

**Author's Note:** Hello, so uhm… This is my first Harry Potter fanfic and I hope it's not that bad?

It might be a bit confusing at the moment, but give it a try.

**Bit o' Background Info: **This is set after the war, including a few changes to make my story work.

_Snape_ hasn't died. After he gave Harry the memory he could be saved.

_Harry_ has just seen the conversation between Snape and Dumbledore, so he's still clueless 'bout his mom and Snape.

_Draco _has been thrown into the dungeons with Harry, Hermione, Ron, Mr. Ollivander and Luna. He escaped with them and was hidden in The Burrow during the Hogwarts battles 'cause he was injured.

_Hermione_ has kinda befriended Draco while he stayed at The Burrow and is not in a relationship with Ron.

If I forgot anything, I'm sorry.

Now, I'm letting you read. Please comment. :D

_**Of Snakes and Lions**_

_The old castle was enthroned on the green hill as naturally as the crown on an old king's head. Everything was shining with joyful anticipation of the upcoming day at the first rays of sun and the banners of the houses on each house's tower and the banner with the Hogwarts emblem on the main tower waved in the morning breeze. Not a human soul could be seen nor heard. _

_Complete silence._

"Excuse me?" The stewardess tugged on the boy's sleeve shyly. He rubbed the sleep out of his dark grey-ish blue eyes and looked at her expectantly. "We already landed." She says and looked him over. He couldn't be a lot younger than herself, maybe three years. His dirty blond hair was utterly messy and fell over his forehead gently. He wasn't tall, merely 5'5" if that, but had a fine body. From what she could spot he had not an ounce of fat and decent muscles on his arms, back and stomach. He stood up to stretch his stiff body. "Thanks." He smiled at her apologetically and pushed past her after getting his backpack out from under his seat.

A few weeks earlier when he arrived at his home, a New Yorker apartment on the Northern end of the Central Park, he had found a letter addressed to himself on the cupboard next to the coat rack. It looked ancient and was made out of parchment, not paper. After the boy picked it up he walked into the kitchen. He dumped his stuff on the kitchen floor and made himself comfortable on the bar stool while he snagged a knife out of a drawer to open the letter. He unfolded it and began to read it interested.

_'Dear Mister Harvett,_

_We would like to invite you to apply to Hogwarts School. The school is situated an hour west of London. We are one of the most established schools of our kind and are lucky to call our school the one which has by far the largest number of dedicated students in the world._

_As you may have recognized you are a little different to other people your age-_

He put the letter down and snorted despiteous. Even some English people knew that he was a little freak. He looked at the letter again and considered to throw it into the trash, but then decided to at least read the full letter, because the thought of getting away from the loud and dirty streets of New York for a bit appeared more than appealing to the blond.

_As you may have recognized you are a little different to other people your age, what does not mean that you are weird or psycho, just different. _

_Of course we know that you would be a lot further away from your family than other students, but would like to offer you a spot anyways. At Hogwarts you would be able to learn to use your extraordinary abilities in a good way. Also we would like to help you to develop them on a new level._

_If you have any interest in knowing further, we would request an answer in form of a letter._

_Minerva McGonagall _

_Headmistress_

He put the letter down. Using his so called 'extraordinary abilities' in a good way seemed like the biggest joke of all time, because the stuff that happened around him was utterly strange and sometimes disturbing, to say the least. He scratched his head and then searched the envelope for an address to write the letter to, but there was none. He flipped it over to look if there was something else - maybe a little piece of paper with an address on it - in it. Nothing.

Suddenly he heard a strange noise from the window. The boy looked up in surprise, but there was nothing. He shook his head vacantly. Maybe he had just imagined the sound. It had been a long and dull school day, so he wouldn't be surprised if he started imagining things.

DONG.

There it was again. The blond boy got up and slowly walked towards the window. When he reached it, he opened it and looked outside carefully. At first sight everything was normal. Couples were taking a walk, mothers were taking their children to the playground which was within a stone's throw of the building he lived in, people were taking their dogs for an afternoon walk and in the distance he could spot two guys riding their horses. The noises were the same as always, too: children's laughter, birds' chirping, dogs' barking and the usual New York street noise. As he looked at a tree, something grey feathered caught his eye. There in the green crown of the tree sat a grey owl with black rings around its eyes. He looked at it almost as if he was under a spell and the animal looked right back at him. The boy had never in his life seen something as genuinely beautiful as this owl on the tree in front of his kitchen window. After a few minutes passed by, the owl flew away, then came into sight again and glided towards the boy. Shocked he stood there and couldn't do anything but watch the owl glide into the kitchen. He tried to get it out of the room, but it remained right where it was on the top of the fridge.

A dark brown haired woman entered the kitchen. She had dark black eyes and pale lips. She was rather thin, tall and about 40 years old. Right after her came a short girl with emerald green hair. She had freckles all over her round soft face and a lip piercing. She was the one who first spotted the owl which was still sitting on top of the fridge and cleaned it's plumage looking utterly superior. The girl tugged on her mother's coat and pointed at the bird excitedly. "Raven?", the woman shouted. "Are you home?" No answer. The girl strolled towards the sleeping rooms on the second floor of the maisonette. The first room to the right she passed was her oldest brother Fynn's. The next door was her room and on the opposite of each room there were two bathrooms, one with just a shower and one with a shower and a bathtub. The next room to the left was her parent's bedroom and next to that one the guest room. On the left side of the guest room there was her only sister Kathleen's. Opposite her parent's room there was her baby brother Arden's room which was on the left side of Thomas' room who was another brother of hers. The last room on the floor was Raven's. She knocked and entered it at the same time to find her twin slouched on his bed with a letter in his hands. He looked up to her. "Hey, Avvy. How was school?" The girl rolled her eyes to say 'as always'. Raven rolled around and slowly got up from the bed. "Did you come with mom?" She nodded. Together they walked downstairs where their mother was unpacking the stuff she had bought at the supermarket.

"Raven, do you have an idea why there's an owl in our kitchen?" The brown haired woman asked, sounding slightly worried. She hadn't seen an owl in ages.

"It constantly flew against the window when I came home. I opened it and it won't leave now." He said casually while sitting down on the island unit. His sister joined him, a lollypop sticking out of her mouth. She offered it to him, but he declined. The girl tugged on his sleeve and motioned to him to ask their mother when their dad would come home. He did as he was told and then got up to help the woman cook dinner.

"I don't know. He should be back until dinner time though. Would you help me slice the peppers, 'Lizabeth?" The girl got up too, fetched a chopping board and set to work.

"How was school today?" The tall mustachioed man asked before stuffing another piece of pizza into his mouth. Around the table there sat his wife Fallon and their six children. On his left there sat his three oldest: Kathleen, a ginger blonde tall young woman with light blue eyes, his oldest son Angus a tall, silent young man with jet black messy hair and Thomas, which looked quite similar to his older brother, but his taint was by far not as light as Angus'. On the right side of the man sat the twins Raven and Elizabeth-Avery which both had a massive amount of freckles on their faces and arms, the boy with dark blonde and the girl with emerald green hair, but similar fascinating blue eyes, even though Raven's were a few shades more greyish. The last was his youngest son Arden, who looked exactly like his mother who sat on the far end of the table.

While Kathleen and Angus began telling about their day at university, Thomas just shrugged and continued eating and Arden exclaimed that his grades were especially good this year the twins both stared down on their plates then simultaneously grabbed the two last pieces of pizza remaining. Elizabeth-Avery had had band rehearsals after school and Raven got home as fast as possible with the underground, hiding his angry face behind a thick book while some guys from school found it funny throwing balls of paper at him. He wanted them to have massive amounts of pain, but knew he could never let himself go and make them feel what he knew they deserved. They made his life a little hell every day, whenever they caught him alone.

Suddenly his twin sister elbowed him and he looked up, not wanting to dwell in his thoughts any longer. "And what did you do today, Raven?" Their father asked. The boy shrugged. All his other siblings had already gone upstairs for their bedrooms and his mother was already clearing the table. He hadn't noticed the others leaving.

"Not too much. I got a letter though. From a… a school." The whole table looked at him expectantly and he shuffled uncomfortably in his seat.

"Which school?" His mother asked shrilly. She sounded alarmed. No… why should she? _I must have imagined that_., he thought. "I don't remember the name… it's… somewhere in England, I think." The 16-year-old searched his memory for a name, but couldn't find anything but a crest with four animals on it. "I just can remember that it had a crest with… with-"

"With a lion, a snake, a badger and a raven." His mother finished the sentence before disappearing into the kitchen. The three looked after her baffled. How did she know? when she re-entered the dining room, she exchanged a few meaningful looks with her husband. He cleared his throat. "Children, can you please go upstairs?" The man asked quietly. "Your mother and I have something important to talk about." The emerald haired girl eyed her twin suspiciously before getting up and leaving the room with him.

Inside, the mustachioed man marched up and down the room. "Are you sure it's it?" He asked his wife. "I am. That's where my cousin went to school. That's where he teaches now. If he's even alive, that is." The panic in her voice could be heard well. "I always suspected that he's going to be like his father, but…" She sat down on a chair and buried her face in her hands. "Maybe… Maybe he has too little of it…?" Her husband asked.

"No… His father is one, his mother was one. How can he not be one?" She sobbed, not daring to say the word. "Fallon… We always knew that this day was eventually going to come. We promised him we were going to keep the boy safe."

"Doesn't he _mean_ anything to you?" She cut him off harshly.

"Of course he does! What do you think? But he has the right to go. Don't you see that he's not completely happy under us muggles?"

"Don't use that word in my house!"

"Fallon, this is my house as well." The man said it calmingly, not trying to anger his wife any further. "You have to admit that he isn't." The woman stood up and looked out of the window. "Of course he isn't… Severus never was either." The man walked up behind her and gently put his arms around her. "Oh, Theo…" She sighed. "Do we really have to let him go?" He sighed too. "We'll never lose him completely. He's not exactly like his father." She smiled a bit. "Even though you have to admit that he is a lot more like him than you'd want him to be." He laughed. "Your words, not mine."

"Do you think he's going to visit us during breaks?" She asked. Her husband thought for a while, but then nodded. "He will, I'm sure."

"When will we tell him?" Theodore broke the silence.

"Tomorrow will be the best, I guess."


	2. Breaking News

**Author's Note:** Hello, so uhm… This is my first Harry Potter fanfic and I hope it's not that bad? It might be a bit confusing at the moment, but give it a try.

**Disclaimers:** Well. I obviously don't own all Harry Potter characters. It would be great, but well. I don't. I own the Harvetts, though.

**Bit o' Background Info: **

This is set after the war, including a few changes to make my story work.

_Snape_ hasn't died. After he gave Harry the memory he could be saved.

_Harry_ has just seen the conversation between Snape and Dumbledore, so he's still clueless 'bout his mom and Snape.

_Draco _has been thrown into the dungeons with Harry, Hermione, Ron, Mr. Ollivander and Luna. He escaped with them and was hidden in The Burrow during the Hogwarts battles 'cause he was injured.

_Hermione_ has kinda befriended Draco while he stayed at The Burrow and is not in a relationship with Ron.

If I forgot anything, I'm sorry.

Now, I'm letting you read. Please comment. :D

**_Of Snakes and Lions_**

Breaking News

The boy sat on the stool, his eyes wide opened in shock. His jaw had dropped to the ground and he looked at the people in front of him. "Excuse me?" Was all he could say. He understood very well what his parents - wait, they weren't even his parents - had just told him, but he couldn't even try to, nor did he want to, understand what the news they had just broken to him meant. How could that possibly be?

"Raven-", the brown haired woman took a deep breath. "-we wanted to wait for a good moment to tell you, but..." She didn't know why they had held it from him this long.

"You thought that it maybe wouldn't come out?" Even though it was meant to be an accusation, it sounded rather pleading. Raven wasn't the fighting one, not with his parents. Or at least that's what he thought they were. "How?" He asked.

"Your… your father was a really important man. It was a really delicate situation when you were born… It was war." Fallon began to explain to the blond. She shifted uncomfortably but eventually began to talk again. Raven listened interestedly. "He… He was heartbroken, your mother died. Your father loves you a lot, but he couldn't possibly keep you. It wasn't save for you, so he brought you here. The war's over by now, so…"

"So he wants me back?" The blond couldn't believe it. Who could he be? And who did that guy think he was? Left him at _someone's_ and now turned up cause he felt like it?

"I'd say so. He's kept in touch with us, but we thought it would be better for you not to know just yet." Theodore filled in.

"But why _you?_" The boy asked still not sure what to think. "How do _you_ fit into all of this?

"I… Your father's my cousin, Raven."

"So…" The boy eyed the pair suspiciously. "You're my aunt and uncle. Not… just some strangers."

"Yes."

The blond huffed and scratched the back of his neck, thinking - then looked back up at them. Silence. After a few minutes however he broke the deafening silence. "When… When will I meet him?"

"We don't know yet. He works at the school which sent you that letter… I assume you'll fly to England when this school year's done." Theo answered.

* * *

Two weeks later he left the plane with a tired smile on his face and a feeling of anticipation grumbling in the pit of his stomach. Here he was - London Heathrow - about to meet his father. Finally. The last two weeks he had been skipping school - his parents didn't even opt for complaining on the behavior of the younger twin - and packing stuff he didn't want to leave behind. After he had decided to go to Hogwarts, his 'parents' and him had contacted the school as well as his biological father to set up a date to be meeting. Against Theodore's belief, the boy would leave even sooner than they thought - on the 20th of May. He would be spending the holidays with the man to catch up on the things he needed to and eventually get to know him a bit before they left for Hogwarts on the 28th of August. The boy couldn't really decide if the anticipation he was feeling was joy or anxiety. Who would that man be? How would he be? How would he look like? Like himself or like one of his siblings? Everything was so new. Before that day, everything was simple for Raven. His sisters and brothers. His parents. His stupid school with his brainless, silly classmates. But now? It evoked question upon question in him. Not that he would ask and act like some overenthusiastic first year. Not in his wildest dreams. He had at least some pride.

He walked into terminal three and queued up in front of the desk for citizens of Not-EU-Countries. He knew the procedures which came with coming to Europe by heart - he had done it way too often. He looked around. Heathrow had changed a bit. More modern now, it was. The man behind him wore an expensive looking suit - Armani most likely, Raven decided - and carried a slim shining black briefcase. The couple standing in front of him couldn't have been more different looking to the man, Raven thought. They both had long dreadlocks in different shades of brown and wore baggy sweat pants and tank tops. Soon, they were gone and Raven had his visa.

He took a deep calming breath and slowed down his pace. This was the moment. He didn't even know how his father looked. He would be waiting for him, so much the boy knew. His whole family had a _serious_ problem with secretiveness, he thought scowling. The hall was fairly busy. No wonder, it was somewhere around 10am. After fetching his suitcase, he surveyed the crowd of what seemed to be waiting people. His gaze stopped on a tall man, about 40 years old, ivory skin, pitch black shoulder long hair and almost identically black eyes. Their eyes met in the crowded room and the man looked thunderstruck. That must be him, the boy thought and made his way over to him, slow and confident.

"Hello", the boy said extending his hand to the man. "I'm… Good to meet you." He said and damned himself for the sound of insecurity in his voice. It wasn't his calm and steady one at all. The man, still looking horrified took the short boy's hand in his own warm one and shook it briefly.

"My name's Severus. Severus Snape." The man said. He had a calm, deep voice. Somehow it sounded comforting to the boy. "I assume Fallon didn't see the need in telling you." Raven didn't trust his voice just yet, so instead of an actual answer, he nodded. That was his father? That man in front of him with the dark blue stonewashed jeans and the leather jacket looked _nothing_ like himself. The eyes were alike, Raven's were just a bit lighter, but other than that… How could that be? Of course, he didn't look like Theodore, Fallon or any of his siblings - excluding Elizabeth-Avery - either, but… "Come…" His father told him, surprisingly gently, whilst trying to pry his hand from the suitcase and taking it with him.

They walked outside, where bright sunshine greeted them. Raven looked into the sky and let the rays of sun tickle his freckled face gently. The air was a _lot_ better than in New York and he took a deep breath. It was refreshing - being able to breathe in proper air after hours and hours of being on a plane.

"So… Where are you taking me?", he asked curiously. Severus, who was walking next to him thought for a while - to be honest, he didn't plan anything; much to his own surprise, because it was so unlike him - then answered.

"How about we get us something to eat and then I'll show you where I live?"

"You have a house? I mean… that school's a boarding school, I assumed that…" He trailed off.

"Yes. What did you think? That I stay at Hogwarts for the entire time? Even for breaks?" The man stifled a laugh.

"Yeah, well… I guess I didn't really think about that at all." The boy admitted sheepishly he hated to look like a child - even more in the presence of this man, he found himself thinking. Sensing how uncomfortable the younger one was, Severus decided to drop the subject.

"What would you like to eat?" The boy thought for a while as they were waiting for a cab. Severus watched him silently, studying him. The boy looked like a little version of his beloved mother except for the eyes. Thank god. The man didn't know if he could stand to even look into the boy's eyes would he have the same ones as the woman who passed away much too early. However, that was the only feature the 16 year old didn't inherit from her. He had the milky soft skin, the adorable freckles, the snub nose, the dark blonde hair with the ginger-ish tint, the shortness… He couldn't believe that this beautiful little boy was _his_ son.

"Fish and chips?" The blond looked up to his father - goddamnit his _father _- and smiled one eye closed. The man thought for a moment, trying to remember a place where he could take the boy. Finally he decided to take him to a little restaurant just about 10 minutes away from the Leaky Cauldron.

"If that's what you want. I just warn you that as soon as we leave for Hogwarts, you won't get anything but really English food. For the record - I told you."

"Then I still have a few months to make you try food from every foreign culture possible. For the record - I warned you." The man smirked slyly at the boy's words. That was _her_ son, no doubt about that. Severus hadn't noticed the taxi that had pulled up in front of them, so he was a bit shocked when the driver first talked to him, but wasn't stupid enough to show it. He was a spy. He sighed inwardly. He _had been_ a spy - far too long, in fact. Now he was a teacher. And a father if the boy would allow him into his life. He hoped so dearly.


	3. Dear Insanity

**Author's Note:** Hello, so uhm… This is my first Harry Potter fanfic and I hope it's not that bad? It might be a bit confusing at the moment, but give it a try.** Uh oh... It's getting shorter and shorter. Nah well. **

**Thanks to my reviewer and followers. :)**

**Disclaimers:** Well. I obviously don't own all Harry Potter characters. It would be great, but well, they belong to the infamous queen. I own the Harvetts, though.

**Bit o' Background Info: **This is set after the war, including a few changes to make my story work.

_Snape_ hasn't died. After he gave Harry the memory he could be saved.

_Harry_ has just seen the conversation between Snape and Dumbledore, so he's still clueless 'bout his mom and Snape.

_Draco _has been thrown into the dungeons with Harry, Hermione, Ron, Mr. Ollivander and Luna. He escaped with them and was hidden in The Burrow during the Hogwarts battles 'cause he was injured.

_Hermione_ has kinda befriended Draco while he stayed at The Burrow and is not in a relationship with Ron.

If I forgot anything, I'm sorry.

Now, I'm letting you read. Please comment. :D

**_Of Snakes and Lions_**

** Dear Insanity**

"Thanks." Raven thanked the waitress as she placed the plate in front of him. The two men were seated in the corner of a cozy little restaurant where they could overlook the whole place. The tables were small, but solid and the seats were comfy, inviting to stay a bit longer than necessarily required. Both had a plate in front of them, respectively laden with fish and chips. They sat in silence, both enjoying the delicious food. Severus was the first one to speak up.

"You know you're special, don't you?"

The boy chewed on the food for a moment, then swallowed and looked at his plate. After a moment passing by, he looked up to the black haired man.

"You don't have to be nice. I am aware of the fact that I'm a weirdo." he said and picked up his glass sipping on the drink.

"You're not. There are a lot of us."

The blond snorted and looked up again, an eyebrow raised. "I doubt that. You wouldn't know, you don't exactly know me, do you?"

"Not in person. I've seen you – a few times." Here, Severus made a pause to consider what to say next. He knew perfectly well how insane the things he had to tell the boy would sound to him. "Fallon kept in touch with me. The things she's told me are clear signs that you are what I am." Again, a pause. Raven's eyebrows had now both disappeared under his fringe.

"And what are you?"

Silence. Severus scraped the last bit of chips up and slowly ate them. He couldn't deny that he did that for effect – he was Severus Snape after all.

"A wizard." he answered silently and waited for a reaction. The man expected the boy to laugh, to tell him he's plainly stupid and he should stop taking the piss out of him, but instead the boy stood and placed a hand on the man's forehead and frowned.

"Are you okay?" he asked looking genuinely worried. "Do you see anything twice? Or are there black bits in your vision? Or can't you focus on a spot?"

"I can assure you that I'm in perfect health, thank you." Severus' voice dripped with sarcasm.

The boy's frown grew even deeper and he wiggled with his nose – a clear sign of confusion. "And from which nuthouse did you break loose?"

Severus snorted. "None." he said simply and discreetly picked out his wand from the wand holster in his leather jacket and placed it next to his plate, so that the rest of the people in the restaurant couldn't possibly spot it.

"A stick." Raven stated – clearly unimpressed.

"A wand." the Potions Master declared and leaned back, his arms folded over his chest.

Silence. Both men stared at each other.

Then Raven fished his mobile out of the pocket of his jeans, dialing, but still eyeing _that_ _man_. While he waited to be connected to his mother's office where he knew she'd be. Fallon's assistant picked up the phone and asked who it was. The blond answered and waited for the woman to pick up.

"Raven, is there a problem?" She sounded rather anxious.

"Not exactly."

"Why are you calling, then? I was in an important conference."

"I think that guy's a nutcase." he informed her calmly.

"Raven!" she exclaimed.

"He just showed me a stick and claims it's a wand. That clearly is a sign."

"Look, honey, just… Let him explain that to you, okay? He's fine, trust me. Completely legit." The woman sighed.

"Fallon…"

"No, Raven… I trust this man with my life, okay?" she sounded rather pleading, so the boy accepted it.

"Fine. But don't say I didn't tell you, alright?"

"Sure, dear." she laughed. "Have a good day, okay?"

"You too, you too." Then he hung up and looked at the black haired man.

"I can assure you I'm in perfect health – both physically and mentally." Severus said with a smug smile. The boy snorted.

"Well, I'm waiting." he said, ignoring the man's words.

After the waitress cleaned the table and they had ordered a coffee each and a dessert for Raven, Severus began explaining.

"You're a wizard same as I. Despite what muggles think, magic does still exist – worldwide. There are so called purebloods, which have magical parents and grandparents too. They have family trees so extensive, they go on until the Middle Ages. The opposite would be muggle-born wizards and witches. They have non magical parents. The majority of England's wizarding community are half-bloods, though. I am one too." He took a gulp of his gin tonic and argued with his inner self if he was going to ask the question or wouldn't. He decided on the former. " Has your mother told you anything about the war?"

"Mentioned it. She said something about it being _too_ _dangerous_ for you to take care of me and that's why I stayed with them." The boy emphasized the words with air quotes.

"Okay. I'll have to explain-" He paused as the waitress returned with their coffee and dessert. Between stirring the coffee gently, the man continued.

"Do you promise me not to freak out?"

"Do I look like the type that freaks out easily?" Raven countered with a smug smile gracing his lips.

"Not at all."

"See?"

"Well. About 20 years ago, a dark wizard was beginning to rise in the English wizarding society. He had a lot of followers. Many were just lulled by him or put under dark spells which rob the will to do one's own will, he knew what to say to make them do his bidding. Most of them were purebloods, he promised them to get them the rights they once had, before muggle-born wizards and witches got nearly the same rights as purebloods. You know, those old families were really wealthy, he needed their support. He gained a lot of power. It were horrible times. Lots of people were killed, tortured… Muggles and muggle-borns mostly. But there was a prophecy that he, Lord Voldemort, would be defeated by a boy born at the end of July…"

Raven choked. What did _that man_ just say? Born at the end of July? _Him_?

"No, don't worry, that's not you. It already happened. The boy, Harry Potter, defeated the Dark Lord during the Final Battle at Hogwarts. Many, many people died." Severus, recognizing the boy's reaction added. He looked down, the wounds were still too fresh, too vivid, too painful. He had thought that he'd manage to talk about it, but no. No - _nononono_.

"When?" It's just a word. One syllable. It seemed so little, but was so meaningful, in fact.

"About a month ago." The boy looked up and stared, quite blankly. _That_ _man's_ voice was completely emotionless. He couldn't believe it. The Potions Master seemed eternally calm.

"How-" Raven pointed at nothing in particular, but made a swift hand motion towards the older wizard.

"Decades of training." Severus answered silently. "You could do that too if you were raised in the wizarding world. Do you understand why Fallon took you?"

"Yes."

"Good." Severus looked at his watch, a simple but beautiful model in dark brown shades and frowns. "Raven, we need to go." He threw a few notes of muggle money onto the table and led the boy outside. The weather was still fairly well for London - just a few clouds dimmed the sunshine. "Look, boy, I have an important… appointment. I couldn't delay it, so if you'd like to go to my house in the meantime, that's fine with me." He paused, thinking. "However, you can come along if you don't mind..."

"Mind what?"

"Nothing. Decide." Severus ordered.

"I don't fancy surprises."

"I take that as a yes." he grabbed the boy's wrist and dragged him along into a dark little alley.

"You're downright creepy, has anyone ever told you? You just could have told me to follow you, I'm not a little child." he huffed and ripped his hand out of the man's steely grasp. The boy barely was able to resist the urge to touch his arm where he knew Severus' hand had left an imprint, but he was a better actor than that he reminded himself. If that man wanted to play arse, well, he could play along.

"Don't act like a child and I won't treat you like one." was the tall man's answer, but he couldn't help the slight grin that formed on his lips. He didn't know whether it was intelligent to like the short boy or not, but he somehow couldn't help it – really. That was _her_ son after all and a part of him adored the pretty little person. He watched as Raven looked at him intently and slowly raised an eyebrow, obviously waiting. His own face wasn't showing anything, he knew that. The boy waited for him to do something, observing the situation and on his tiptoes. Clever.

"Take my arm." he ordered. The boy looked at him, then – a bit reluctantly – placed his petite hand on the Severus' lower arm and with the typical apparition plop, they vanished.


	4. The Death Eater Family

**Author's Note:** Hello, so uhm… This is my first Harry Potter fanfic and I hope it's not that bad? It might be a bit confusing at the moment, but give it a try.

**Disclaimers:** Well. I obviously don't own all Harry Potter characters. It would be great, but well. I don't. I own the Harvetts, though.

**Bit o' Background Info: **This is set after the war, including a few changes to make my story work.

_Snape_ hasn't died. After he gave Harry the memory he could be saved.

_Harry_ has just seen the conversation between Snape and Dumbledore, so he's still clueless 'bout his mom and Snape.

_Draco _has been thrown into the dungeons with Harry, Hermione, Ron, Mr. Ollivander and Luna. He escaped with them and was hidden in The Burrow during the Hogwarts battles 'cause he was injured.

_Hermione_ has kinda befriended Draco while he stayed at The Burrow and is not in a relationship with Ron.

If I forgot anything, I'm sorry.

Now, I'm letting you read. Please comment. :D

**_Of Snakes and Lions_**

The Death Eater Family

The moment the boy's feet touched the ground, he knew he was going to have a hard time standing, but he didn't fall. Raven Landon Harvett did not fall. Never. As soon as he gained balance however, he twirled around to face the black haired man. He was furious. What did that man just _do?_

"_Never_! Never do that to me again!" he shouted at the top of his lungs, not caring for the people walking by. They were in a big hall and the crowds were not even turning around for them. Where the heck were they?

"Oh, finally. A proper emotion." Severus drawled.

"Says _you_ of all people!" was the angry response.

"You're a teenage boy, you're supposed to barely be able to resist bursting from all the emotions."

"I guess I inherited that from _you_, then._" _Raven drawled, his voice still slightly raised. He couldn't care less for the strange people who were starting to turn around and look at them.

"Calm down, boy." the tall man demanded, "We apparated. I'm going to explain the details later." He turned and walked towards a table in the huge hall. It wasn't until now that the boy took in the sight in front of him. It was fabulous. He stood in an enormous entrance hall of some sort of office, he guessed. The colours ranged from azure to black and silver and in the middle of it there was a huge fountain with various statues of wizards. The one in the centre was a boy, merely older than himself with glasses and a determined look on his face. He could be considered handsome, if one liked that type. Where the pair had appeared, he recognized now, were ornaments in the marble floor and people were appearing and disappearing like it was completely normal. It looked like an underground society with special powers to Raven.

Afraid to lose the man in the crowd he ran a few metres until he was on the same level as Severus again. They were headed towards what seemed like a reception with three people behind it which had to be crossed to be able to continue upstairs or downstairs in the elevators arranged behind.

"Good day, Mr. Snape, is it already time?" the nicely dressed woman at the reception interrupted Raven's observation.

"Yes, Miss Melinda, actually it is." he heard his father say, surprised that his voice seemed to be almost soft.

"And who is that, accompanying you?" the woman asked curiously eying him over her glasses.

"I'm Raven, nice to meet you." he answered while shaking her hand.

"Your last name, please?"

"Harvett, V and double T." the boy answered casually. He had gotten used to people misspelling his name all the time. The young woman smiled and wrote his name on a card which she handed to him.

"Your wands, please." she requested as she extended a petite hand with carefully and well manicured finger nails. They were polished in a pretty plum shade. Severus drew his wand from the pocket in the leather jacket and handed it to the woman which turned to the boy, waiting.

"I don't have one." he shrugged. One carefully lined eyebrow raised and disappeared under the woman's fringe. She looked at Severus and back again.

"Miss Melinda, he really does not own one." the man confirmed.

"Fine," the woman answered after a few seconds of penetratingly staring at the blond. "Mr. Snape, Mr. Harvett," she said, "have a nice day." Did the boy's hearing fuel him or did the woman's voice really drip with sarcasm? He looked at the taller man, whose face didn't betray any emotion. On a silent agreement, they bid their goodbyes and walked to the elevators. They entered and Raven waited for the doors to close until he broke the silence.

"What's been going on between that chick and you?"

"Excuse me?" Severus blurted out.

"You and _Miss Melinda_," he watched the older man fight his inner battle patiently.

"I…" the man started with a lot less composure than he intended to, so he started over again, "I made a mistake in a moment of weakness."

The boy started laughing, he couldn't help it, what earned him a deathly glare from the black haired man.

"What?" he asked dangerously calm.

"A _moment of weakness_? Honestly," the boy choked out between bits of laughter, "if that's what you told her there's no wonder why she's practically been staring daggers at you up there."

"Is that any of your business?" Severus asked. He didn't feel comfortable being laughed at by this little… _person_.

"Well, I'd like to know if I have to nag you to change your testament." he grinned at the man cheekily.

"Brat." he breathed. Raven didn't have time to answer, because in that moment the elevator doors opened up and they exited, walking into a strangely dimly lit corridor behind another desk. It was occupied by a grumpy looking tall man with messy dark brown hair and darkish skin. The man didn't look up as they approached them. The boy looked up to Severus who just rolled his eyes and cleared his throat. The man looked up and then back down at his papers. They waited. After 15 minutes of intense scribbling in a horrible scrawl, he looked up to the two of them.

"Snape," he says hostilely, "what do you want again?"

"What I always want."

"And what if I can't let you through?"

"You can, so stop wasting my time." he responded preparing himself for a long discussion, but it didn't come. Something was out of place here. He could feel an unknown source of magical power radiating from the little boy next to him, but the man behind the desk couldn't feel it. Then:

"You may come through. Good day, Mr. Snape." the guard smiled, then stood up and lead them through a warded door and said his goodbyes. When they were out of eye and earshot, Severus asked:

"What was that?"

"Emotions are just codes which can be hacked and changed. It's like computers." the boy answered shrugging. He ignored the stare the man next to him gave him. After another corner they entered a room – or a cell rather, really. In it, there was a bare table, three stools and a naked bulb – nothing comforting. On one of the stools there sat a person, male and horribly pale. He had longish strands of slightly wavy platinum blonde hair. He was deathly thin. When he looked up Raven could see the dark bags under his eyes which didn't do anything for his appearance. He looked broken.

"Who's that?" he asked instead of a greeting. His voice was raspy.

"That's Raven." Severus introduced him to the other boy who must have been just a few years older than himself.

"His long lost son." Raven added which earned him a death glare from Severus and a look of unhidden surprise on the other boy's face.

"That's him?" he asked incredulously, "Whose child _is_ that?"

"Can't you tell? You've seen pictures of her before." the man answered impatiently and the boy's eyes widened even further.

"Hey!" Raven threw in, "What's going on here?"

"My godfather is telling me that you're Potter's – Golden Boy, the Boy-Who-Lived and the Saviour himself – half-brother!" the blonde spat, highly excited.

"What? I have siblings? Who is my biological mother?" Raven asked gobsmacked, "What the _fuck_ is going on here? Who the _fuck _are you? And where in god's name are we?" he whirls around to face Severus, "You! Answers! Now!" The platinum blonde on the chair giggled now, looking utterly crazy.


End file.
